


So Have I Loved You

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic 2017 [10]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Community: trope_bingo, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 08:18:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11642583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: LJ Comment Fic for Happy prompt:Any, any/any, the happiest moments in my life have all been since I met youIn which Grace has a surprise for Steve's birthday and there's not a dry eye in the house.





	So Have I Loved You

**Author's Note:**

> This also fills Kidfic square on my Trope Bingo card

Grace was nervous. Not about what she had to say, because it was only the truth, but because she’d be saying it out loud for the first time. Her stomach was full of butterflies, just like it was before every game when she and the squad were cheering. 

The backyard, lit by flickering tiki torches, was full of people and Grace could feel everyone’s eyes on her. She only had eyes for Step-Steve. He gave her an encouraging look, even though he didn’t have any idea what she was about to say. She looked down at the piece of paper in her hand and cleared her throat before reading the words she’d carefully written.

“Dear Step-Steve. I thought your birthday would be the perfect time to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. From the first day we met you never made me feel like you were being nice to me because you had to. Even before you married my dad, you made me feel like I was important to you as a person.”

Nothing against Step-Stan, but the relationship Grace had with him was so different. He was a giver of _things_ , maybe because he was so busy with work he couldn’t spend much time with her. He always deferred to his wife, like he didn’t think Grace was capable of having her own opinions or making her own decisions. Even after all these years he was still very much a stranger to her.

“You’ve taken an interest in my school stuff, and whenever you thought I was struggling with the work you sat down with me and helped me through it. You co-coached my Little League team and you bring snacks to cheer practice.”

_“I watched one of those cheer competition things on TV this weekend.”_

_“You did? Why?”_

_“I was thinking your team could add some new moves. Really make the crowd take notice. Here. I’ll show you.”_

Grace looked at him and he was grinning back at her. Danno, standing behind Step-Steve’s chair with his hands on Step-Steve’s shoulders, already looked like he wanted to cry. Normally Grace would roll her eyes at her dad’s mushiness, but her own eyes were prickling with tears.

“When I decided to stay here instead of moving with Mom and Step-Stan to Las Vegas, you didn’t hesitate to support me. When I was angry at Mom you talked to me about how you felt when your dad sent you away, and helped me work through my feelings. You helped make the transition a whole lot easier, and not just for me.”

It hadn’t been an easy choice to make, staying with Danno instead of with Mom. And Grace had been angry for a while for having to be put in a position where she had to choose. But Hawaii was her home, it was where all her friends were. It was where Danno was and it wouldn’t have been fair to make him move for her again, not when he was finally so happy.

_"You have to do what's right for you, Gracie. You’re old enough to know what you want.”_

_“I wish my mom thought so.”_

_“You know what? Write down everything you’re feeling. Make a list of reasons to stay and reasons to go. Show her that you’re not just being emotional, that you’ve thought everything out.”_

_“You think that’ll work?”_

_“I think your mom is pretty emotional right now, just like you. And we don’t always make the best choices under those conditions.”_

“You opened your home to me. You and Danno turned the upstairs guest room into my room, officially, and you let me decorate it however I wanted. You’ve been like a second dad to me in all the ways a person could be, and I want you to know how much that means to me.” Grace had a hard time swallowing around the lump in her throat. It was hard, saying everything out loud like that, but she knew he needed to hear it. 

“You’re killin’ me here, Gracie,” Step-Steve said. His eyes were shining in the light from the torches, and he’d reached up to hold one of Danno’s hands.

“I didn’t know we’d need tissues,” Auntie Kono sniffled. “I feel so betrayed.”

“Go ahead, Monkey,” Danno said. “Read the rest.”

Grace nodded, turning the paper over. “The happiest moments in my life have happened since Danno and I met you, Step-Steve. My dad was so unhappy until you came along, even though he tried not to show it around me. You make him happy. And you make me happy. I love you so much.”

Now she was crying too. Grace wiped the tears from her face and soldiered on.

“I know it’s your birthday, and the day is supposed to be all about you, but I did something for myself. Something I hope you’ll like.”

She pulled an envelope from the pocket of her shorts and handed it to Step-Steve. He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand before taking it.

“What’s this?”

“Just open it, babe,” Danno said. He was grinning so big Grace could practically see all his teeth. He gave Step-Steve’s hand a squeeze.

“Police academy?” Jerry guessed. “Oh, wait. I bet she joined the Navy.”

Danno scowled at him. “She’s fifteen. And also, no. My daughter isn’t doing anything that requires carrying a firearm.”

“She’s gonna be a marine biologist,” Auntie Kono said. “She’s too smart to be around criminals every day when she could be swimming with sea turtles and dolphins.”

“Grace?” Step-Steve was on his feet, the contents of the envelope in his hand. “What did you do?”

“I know you can’t adopt me, legally. But nothing says I can’t adopt you.”

The next thing she knew Step-Steve was hugging her and crying, and she was crying too and hugging him back just as hard.

“What just happened?” she heard Uncle Chin ask.

“My daughter, whom I couldn’t love more right now, legally changed her name,” Danno said.

Step-Steve pulled back and there was so much love shining out of his face that Grace was finding it hard to breathe. She knew she’d made the right choice, for both of them, and was glad she’d been able to get her mom to see that too.

“Grace McGarrett-Williams. My girl.”

“My dad,” Grace whispered back, and that was the thing she’d been wanting most of all.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** So the other night I got sucked into watching feel-good YouTube videos. You know the ones. Where Ellen is giving people money for medical expenses and the Surprise Squad is giving people in need brand new cars and active military are surprising their family members. Mostly it was me sitting there crying. There were a lot of clips of kids being surprised with adoption papers, and also kids asking their step-parents to adopt them. All the feels!
> 
> Originally I was going to have Grace ask Steve to adopt her, but as the knowledgeable Nagi_schwarz pointed out, she has two living parents so no-one else _can_ adopt her. But she was fully free to change her name, with parent permission, and so she did. And there was much schmoop to be had. LOL!


End file.
